Umbrella time! Spending summer in the cinema

What'll we do if it doesn't stop raining this summer? Well, there's always the cinema. It's dry in there. And State of Play, a political thriller that combines adultery and conspiracy with the rivalry between print reporting and blogging, is now showing. If you'd like to escape the rain for 127 minutes, I can recommend it. Here's the story: A young Washington politician (Ben Affleck) is investigating corruption when his chief researcher, who is also his mistress, is pushed in front of a train. Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), a reporter for the Washington Globe and an old friend of the young Washington politician, begins to ask questions. Meanwhile, his boss (Helen Mirren) is fighting to save the Globe business at a time when people prefer to read free news on blogs.

Today, most reporters sit in front of computers and dress like middle management. But not Cal McAffrey. Russell Crowe's character personifies the counter-culture romance of journalism. His hair is long, his face is pale, his body is out of shape and his preferred drink is Irish whisky instead of herbal tea. But he's clever, he's tough and those eyes are full of passion for the big story. He quickly teaches the smug young blogger played by Rachel McAdams that good reporting is very, very hard work.

I didn't want State of Play to end, because I don't want print journalism to end. But I had to leave the cinema when the film was over, and as the credits rolled up, Creedence Clearwater Revival started singing "Long as I Can See the Light". Perfect music for a rainy day. Umbrella time!